Boom assemblies are commonly used on agricultural vehicles or applicators or implements, such as sprayers or planters, to dispense seed, fertilizer, insecticide, herbicide, etc. and other miscellaneous agricultural materials. The typical boom assembly is configured to pivot or fold between operative and inoperative positions relative to the boom support or sprayer vehicle. In its operative position, the boom assembly commonly extends in a lateral or transversely outward direction from the sprayer vehicles to a distance of, for example, approximately 120 feet such that the agricultural applicator covers a large surface area with each pass across a field.
After the spraying or distribution of the agricultural materials onto the field is completed, the boom assemblies are typically swung, pivoted, or folded to a retracted, inoperative, or stored position. The preferred folded inoperative position of the boom assembly is generally parallel to the direction of travel of the sprayer vehicle so that the boom assemblies and sprayer vehicle have a relatively narrow profile for transport from the field and on a roadway. When folded in for transportation, the back portions of the boom assemblies are supported by pivot assemblies that join the inner boom sections to the sprayer vehicles. Rack type structures, known as boom saddles or boom cradles, are provided near front portions of the sprayer vehicles for supporting the front portions of the folded in boom assemblies.
Large boom assemblies, such as those wider than about 100 feet, can have tri-fold configurations that include two vertically oriented pivot mechanisms attaching three boom segments to each other, and a third vertically oriented pivot mechanism attaching the boom assembly to the sprayer vehicle. Such tri-fold configurations are typically wider than bi-fold or uni-fold boom assembly configurations when folded, increasing an overall width of the sprayer vehicle to a relatively greater extent. The increased overall vehicle width can present various difficulties when transporting the sprayer vehicle, especially when the it is being transported by truck and trailer on a road, due to, for example, width and other standards and regulations for on-road trailers.
To compensate for such increased overall vehicle width, and to comply with on-road trailer width standards and regulations, some sprayer vehicles have a left-hand boom assembly that can be moved in closer to a cab of the sprayer vehicle. A telescoping cradle slide is provided on the left-hand side because portions of loads that extend beyond left-hand side of trailers can approach an opposing lane of two-lane highways, and sprayer vehicles typically occupy the entire width of the trailer or are laterally centered on the trailer for load balancing purposes. Such left-hand boom assemblies are configured to move closer to the cab by using the telescoping cradle slide that connects the boom cradle to the sprayer vehicle.
Known telescoping cradle slides require an operator to utilize controls within the cab for actuating such cradle slides. For example, to use a known telescoping cradle slide, an operator removes a pin from it, allowing it to move. Then the operator climbs into the cab and uses the boom hydraulic controls to hydraulically push the left-hand boom assembly inward, closer to the cab. In other words, with the pin removed, the left-hand boom assembly is pushed in so that the cradle slide telescopes inwardly, reducing its length, sliding the left-hand boom cradle nearer to the cab, and correspondingly reducing the overall vehicle width. Upon completion of this maneuver, the operator is in the cab and the left-hand boom assembly and boom cradle are nestled rather close to the cab.
However, sprayer vehicles incorporating known telescoping cradle slides have cab entry doors provided only on their left-hand sides because vehicle and implement controls occupy the right-hand interior portion of the cab such that right-hand entry doors are not practical. Accordingly, when left-hand boom assemblies are folded in to a transportation position, the freedom of movement of the cab entry door can be greatly restricted. When this happens, due to a restricted range of motion of the cab entry door, an operator can experience difficulties while trying to exit the cab.